1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carbonator system, a control system and an agitator for use either on earth or in the microgravity conditions of outer space. The carbonator system provides for mixing of carbon dioxide and water to form carbonated water under the principle that if a specific mass of carbon dioxide is forced into a specific amount of water, the water will be carbonated to a specific level. A control system and an agitator are provided to aid in mixing the water and carbon dioxide to form this carbonated water.
2. Description of the Background Art Various carbonator systems for carbonating water are known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,310 to Brown illustrates a carbonator tank which is supplied with a fixed amount of water and a fixed amount of carbon dioxide gas from a positive displacement pump. A known arrangement for carbonating water in the microgravity conditions of outer space is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,589 to Gupta et al. and entitled "Beverage Dispening System Suitable for Use in Outer Space", assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Accordingly, a need in the art exists for additional forms of carbonator systems which are suitable for use in the microgravity conditions of outer space as well as on earth. Such an arrangement must insure that only carbonated water and no bursts of carbon dioxide gas are dispensed in the absence of gravity.